Sealed plug and socket assemblies



" Jan. 29, 1963 .Y N. l.. KEEN SEALED PLUG AND SOCKET ASSEMBLIES 2 sheets-shea 1 Filed March '7, 1960 SN N m QQ NN@ ESS. EN@ E@ Xs@ h@ Jan. 29, 1963 N. L. KEEN SEALED PLUG AND socxET AssmBLIEs 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March '7, 1960 United States PateiritiiOfice 3,076,168 SEALED PLUG AND SOCKET ASSEMBLIES Norman Leigh Keen, Leatherhead, England, assignor to Hellermann Limited, Crawley, England Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,378 3 Claims. (Cl. 339-60) This invention relates to plug and socket assemblies for use where it is essential that there should be a waterproof or liuid tight seal between the plug and socket members as for instance in air-craft where the assembly serves to connect together a multiplicity of cables through a hulkhead. t

The general object of the invention is to ensure an improved seal around the pins and sockets of such assemblies by the application of compressive force between the respective ends of the assembly.

The invention accordingly consists in a plug and socket assembly comprising a resilient gland mounted -around the plug pins, a resilient gland mounted around the sockets, rigid insulating discs supporting the bases of the pins and sockets respectively and engageable with the outward ends of the resilient glands, additional resilient glands engageable with the -outward faces of the insulating discs for sealing the bases of the pins and sockets, and compression plates engageable with the outward faces of the additional resilient glands and through which pressure may be applied to cause deformation of the resilient glands into tight sealing engagement with the pins or sockets respectively and with a sleeve within which the resilient glands are enclosed.

Preferably the gland which surrounds the sockets extends slightly beyond the end of the latter and is arranged to fit closely around the pins where the latter enter the sockets, pressure being applied to the ends of the glands through perforated plates engaging shoulders formed at the bases of the respective pins and sockets.

For a better understanding of the invention however, reference should be made to the following description of a preferred sealed plug and socket assembly which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a longitudinal section through the assembly;

FlG'URE 2, is an exploded elevational view of the assembly;

Referring now to the drawings, the assembly which is shown comprises a central resilient gland which is perforated to receive a multiplicity of sockets 4 which are formed with hollow bases 4a separated from the remainder of the sockets by circumferential ribs 4b. The perforations in the gland are of reduced diameter at the inner end 5a of the gland intended to receive the pins 8 in the other half of the assembly, whilst the perforations are of enlarged diameter at the outer end 5b of the gland to receive ribs 4b. The outer end of the socket gland 5 is engaged by a correspondingly perforated plate 3 made of electrically insulating material which surrounds the bases of the sockets 4. Behind this plate 3 is mounted a gland 2 of resilient material correspondingly pierced to receive the required number of insulated cables 17 whose bared ends are crimped or otherwise secured in the bases 3,076,168 menteuse 2.9, 19,63

4a of the sockets 4. This cable gland 2 is formed at its outer end with bushes 2a around the cable holes and these bushes are adapted to enter a corresponding series of holes in a metal end compression plate 11 provided with an axial screw threaded rod 1 arranged to extend through a central bore in each of the parts referred to above.

A gland 7 of resilient material which is mounted around the pins 8 of the assembly lits closely against circumferential ribs 8b between the bases 8a and the remainder of the pins and its outward end face is engaged by a perforated plate 13 identical with plate 3. The outward side of this latter plate is engaged by a resilient hushed cable gland 12 identical with gland 2 and which is engaged by a correspondingly perforated metal plate 19. The whole assembly is enclosed within a metal sleeve or housing 6.

The threaded rod 1 attached to end plate 11 passing through the central bores of all the components is engaged by an internally threaded screw bollard 10 which can be tightened against the other end plate 19 to clamp the whole assembly together.

When this clamping takes place compression and deformation of all four resilient glands 2, 5, 7, 12 occurs with the result that the latter tightly grip the cables 17, 18 to resist endwise movement thereof and ensure a fluidtight seal whilst the socket and pin engaging glands 5, 7 positively seal and prevent relative movement between these two parts.

The resilient glands are preferably made of rubber and fibre reinforced synthetic plastic material may be used for the insulating discs.

I claim:

l. A plug and socket assembly comprising a plurality of pin elements each having a pin part, a base extending axially outwardly therefrom and a circumferential rib therebetween, a plurality of socket elements each having a socket part, a base extending axially outwardly therefrom and a circumferential rib therebetween, each of said pin and socket bases being connectable to a conductor, a rigid sleeve, a first perforated resilient gland having recesses to receive said pin ribs, said lirst gland fitting in said sleeve and mounted round said pin parts and said pin ribs, a second perforated resilient gland having recesses to receive said socket ribs,`said second gland also fitting in said sleeve and mounted round said socket parts and said socket ribs, first and second rigid insulating discs slidable within said sleeve end engaging the inner periphery thereof, supporting said pin bases and said socket bases at axially inner sections thereof respectively and engageable with the outer ends of said first gland and said second gland respectively and engageable with the outer faces of the circumferential ribs of the pin elements and the socket elements respectively, a third perforated resilient gland and a fourth perforated resilient gland fitting in said sleeve, mounted about axially outward sections of the bases of said pins and sockets respectively and about said conductors connected thereto, and engageable with the outer faces of said rst and second discs respectively, perforated compression plates engageable with the outward faces of said third and fourth glands respectively, and means for applying pressure between said compression plates to cause deformation of all said glands into tight sealing engagement with said sleeve and with said pin elements, said socket elements and said conductors.

2. A plug socket assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which said third and fourth glands extend into the perforations of said compression plates to protect the conductors passing therethrough.

3. A plug and socket assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which the thickness of said rst and second rigid insulating discs is small relative to the thicknesses of said iirst and second perforated resilient glands and the combined thicknesses of the third and fourth perforated resilient glands.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES JATENTS 2,443,654 Else et al. June 22, 1948 2,485,195 Munsey Oct. 25, 1949 2,563,712 Frei et al Aug. 7, 1951 2,698,926 Young Ian. 4, 1955 10 2,700,140 Phillips Jan. 1s, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 704,464 Great Britain Feb. 24, 1954 

1. A PLUG AND SOCKET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PIN ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A PIN PART, A BASE EXTENDING AXIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL RIB THEREBETWEEN, A PLURALITY OF SOCKET ELEMENTS EACH HAVING A SOCKET PART, A BASE EXTENDING AXIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL RIB THEREBETWEEN, EACH OF SAID PIN AND SOCKET BASES BEING CONNECTABLE TO A CONDUCTOR, A RIGID SLEEVE, A FIRST PERFORATED RESILIENT GLAND HAVING RECESSES TO RECEIVE SAID PIN RIBS, SAID FIRST GLAND FITTING IN SAID SLEEVE AND MOUNTED ROUND SAID PIN PARTS AND SAID PIN RIBS, A SECOND PERFORATED RESILIENT GLAND HAVING RECESSES TO RECEIVE SAID SOCKET RIBS, SAID SECOND GLAND ALSO FITTING IN SAID SLEEVE AND MOUNTED ROUND SAID SOCKET PARTS AND SAID SOCKET RIBS, FIRST AND SECOND RIGID INSULATING DISCS SLIDABLE WITHIN SAID SLEEVE END ENGAGING THE INNER PERIPHERY THEREOF, SUPPORTING SAID PIN BASES AND SAID SOCKET BASES AT AXIALLY INNER SECTIONS THEREOF RESPECTIVELY AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID FIRST GLAND AND SAID SECOND GLAND RESPECTIVELY AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OUTER FACES OF THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL RIBS OF THE PIN ELEMENTS AND THE SOCKET ELEMENTS RESPECTIVELY, A THIRD PERFORATED RESILIENT GLAND AND A FOURTH PERFORATED RESILIENT GLAND FIT- 